The Bible NETWork ~ Impacting the World for Christ one post at a time!

I'm a VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Chaplain and I'm concerned about the alarming rate of suicides among my comrades. The Stars and Stripes newspaper states that there are 22 suicides per day. I have an idea though. If you are a minister, pastor, reverend, chaplain, etc. and you see a member of our armed forces on the street, thank them for their service. Ask them how they are doing. Many times they are just waiting for someone to appreciate them. I've thanked many of our armed service members for their service and 90% of the time it leads to a conversation. That conversation can be the difference between them committing suicide or not. I have saved one service member so far. Also, I'm trying to get all clergy trained on suicide prevention. My idea is to have clergy, once trained, to coordinate with active duty chaplains and interact with the troops on base. Often times due to hierarchical stigma from the military service members are reluctant to talk to anyone, even a chaplain. Through the love of Christ we can stop this epidemic.

Yours in Christ,

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Dale A. Iannello, B.Th., M.B.S.
Chaplain Post #969
District #3 Chaplain
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Department of Washington

Pro Deo Et Patria!

they get alot of stress from their in service more so when they are in battle then not. I think what you are doing is a very great thing for those who risk their life to defend our freedom.

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church is something believers are apart of not just something they go to

22 per day?! -- that's shocking! -- where is the news media???

it's time we let the world fend for itself for a while -- get out of the business of war & let's allow our weaponry & personnel time to exhale & heal

Hey Paco,
The "Stars and Stripes" a military newspaper seems to be the only one reporting this. An active duty military chaplain currently serving in Korea told me about the article. The regular news media doesn't really seem to care much. Obama's "State of the Union" address didn't mention it either. Of course, he never served in the military. The following link is for classes on suicide prevention. But, it's a bit pricey. $550.00. Personally, I can't afford it...

_________________
Dale A. Iannello, B.Th., M.B.S.
Chaplain Post #969
District #3 Chaplain
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Department of Washington

Pro Deo Et Patria!

Chap,

How has the suicide rate been trending over time? Does it vary from one war to the next? Is World war I "shell shock" the same thing as PTSD? Are there available countermeasures to reduce the rate?

Sorry to ask so many dumb questions. This is a subject I know next to nothing about.

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Not all those who wander are lost.

Strider,
From what I've read, the suicide rate is much higher than in previous wars. This is due to multiple deployments. In WWI and WWII "Shell Shock" is the same as PTSD. I have seen many cases of "Shell Shock" from WWII veterans. Presently the Army has a suicide prevention program in place. Here's the link to the manual: http://api.ning.com/files/4YHPO5c-sXyPH ... Manual.pdf.
Because of the stigma of being thought of as weak, many soldiers don't seek help.

_________________
Dale A. Iannello, B.Th., M.B.S.
Chaplain Post #969
District #3 Chaplain
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Department of Washington

Pro Deo Et Patria!